“Zielinski.”
Mike jerked his gaze away from Stardust when Frost called him.
“Do you prefer to go by your last name?” Frost asked.
“Not since I left the Army. Stardust is the only one here who calls me that.”
“What do you prefer?”
“Mike.”
“Then Mike it is,” Frost said with a nod.
He didn’t ask their names, although he was curious what they were. But they’d introduced themselves as Frost and Stardust so that must be their preference. Mike figured if they wanted to divulge their true names, they would do it when they were ready. He cast a quick glance at Stardust while he was preoccupied talking to Frost. Mike mentally chided himself for constantly sneaking glances at the raven-haired hero. Drooling over his partner was the last thing he should be doing. They might have found a way to get along as colleagues and maybe even become friends, but acting on his attraction would be unprofessional.
Except...they’d kissed. Twice. The first could be explained away as getting too heated from their fight. But the second. The second kiss had been deliberate on both their parts. He hadn’t spoken a word, but he’d issued an invitation that Stardust had seen, understood, and accepted. Should he dismiss that kiss too and assume there was no real meaning behind it? Or maybe therewasmeaning to it and Stardust wanted him for more than a few rushed kisses in dark alleys.
Mike sighed to himself. That was unlikely. Someone as beautiful as Aiden undoubtedly already had a lover. And even if he didn’t, he wouldn’t want to be touched by a man as scarred as he was. At that reminder, Mike frowned, staring unseeingly at the polished hardwood floor. He needed to remember that he was different now. He was no longer the man he’d been before. His body was changed and not for the better.
∞ ∞ ∞
Aiden found himself surreptitiously watching Mike whenever his attention was on Frost. He was different tonight. Relaxed, both in posture with the way he’d settled back into the chair, and in attitude. Maybe Frost had been right to invite him over. He was getting to see Mike outside of their role as heroes. This relaxed version of Mike, along with the glimpses of humor he’d shown previously had Aiden convinced that he finally had his answer. Mike wasn’t uptight—or at least he wasn’t when it came to matters outside of work. Aiden liked this side of his partner and could see a friendship developing between them.
Of course, there was the little issue of their second kiss. He couldn’t blame that one on the heat of the moment. What did that mean for them as partners? Did it mean anything at all? Did it have to mean anything?
All Aiden wanted was to fight and have fun. If every now and then a kiss was slipped into the mix then so be it. It didn’t have to be a big deal. They could keep it professional even if they sometimes let the adrenaline and their physical attraction get the better of them. They could be professional superhero partners who sometimes kissed. Surely that was a thing that happened with some of the other superhero teams in the world.
Pulling himself from his musings he looked up and noticed that Mike’s mood seemed to have changed. The big man was staring at the floor with a dejected air, a slight frown creasing his forehead. Aiden shifted, moving on instinct to go to him and soothe him, smooth that frown away as he asked what was wrong. He had one foot on the floor when he realized what he was doing—about to go and offer comfort to a man who wasn’t his to care for.
Aiden forced himself to relax, swallowing down a quiet, self-deprecating laugh as he settled back on the couch. He loved to dominate his submissives but he loved caring for them just as much. And that’s where the problems in his relationships usually came in. He was attracted to big, strong men who were alphas in the public eye but had the urge to submit between the sheets. Unfortunately, their submission didn’t continue on past that. Outside of aftercare, the men he’d been involved with wouldn’t let him caretake. It frustrated Aiden and led to so much friction in his relationships that they all invariably ended when his partner wouldn’t submit outside the bedroom. Or they ended because the guy wanted Aiden to change who he was. Like Steve wanting him to quit dancing.
He had no reason to believe that things would be any different with Mike. Physically, he might be everything he wanted in a partner. And he did like his personality, now that he was seeing more of it. But he’d been burned so many times that it was a safe bet to assume that even if Mikewasinterested in bedroom submission—it wouldn’t extend beyond that.
In addition, there was the added complication of them working together. He didn’t want to cause any strife within the Guardians by dating Mike since it was inevitable that they would break up. It would be best if he didn’t start anything with him. Regardless of the fact that he had to clench his fists to contain the pulse of excitement that beat in his chest when he imagined Mike Zielinski on his knees before him, shirt off to finally see those muscles for himself. That desire would have to stay as a dream. Bringing it to life would be selfish and cause problems, he was sure of it.
“It’s getting late. I should go.”
“Yeah, I’m ready for bed,” Frost added with a small yawn. He stood and disappeared into the kitchen with his empty plate and water glass.
Startled from his thoughts, Aiden looked at the clock. Itwaslate. He leaned forward to reach for the dishes he’d set on the coffee table to take them into the kitchen but Mike beat him to it, shooting up out of his chair to grab the dishes himself.
“I’ll take these in for you. Since you cooked.”
Aiden looked into green eyes that sparkled like emeralds with Mike’s teasing smile. He pulled his hand back from the plate but didn’t move out of the space that they shared.
“Very funny. Are you dissing my culinary expertise? Because if you are, I might have to vow never to cook for you again.”
“Nope. But I’m a big boy. It’ll take more than a couple of Hot Pockets to fill me up.”
Aiden let his gaze drift from the teasing green eyes down to the broad shoulders and muscular chest in front of him. “Hmmm...Youarebig.” He raised his eyes up to Mike’s in time to see the teasing light turn heated, before Mike’s gaze dropped to Aiden’s mouth. Aiden barely stopped himself from sliding his tongue out to lick his lips. With the way Mike was looking at him right now, Aiden knew without a doubt that the man wanted him. After years spent arousing people’s sexual interest, he was an expert at identifying someone’s attraction to him.
He wanted Mike and Mike wanted him back. He needed to decide. Resist the attraction or go for what he wanted?
∞ ∞ ∞
This close to one another, Mike couldn’t miss the tiny smile that briefly touched Stardust’s lips. He could assume it was related to their teasing, but something told him it was something else. Something more...intimate. Especially since those pretty eyes turned to molten gold as they stared into his. Feeling that he was in dangerous territory and mindful that with Frost in the other room they weren’t truly alone, Mike dropped his gaze. He collected the plates and straightened.
“Thank you for the snack,” he said before taking all of the dishes to the kitchen. He went over to where Frost waited next to the open dishwasher, a knowing gleam in their arctic blue eyes. They didn’t say anything however, so Mike kept his mouth shut too.
